Why God Allows His Children To Suffer by Zac Poonen

[Music] [Music] you [Music] we've been thinking about understanding God's ways and we see that there's a lot of difference between the way God dealt with Israel in the Old Covenant and the way God deals with his people in the New Covenant as I have traveled around different countries and met Christians in different denominations I'm absolutely convinced that 95% of born-again believers don't have a clue that the Old Covenant is abolished and that we are in a new covenant and that's why their lives are so defeated that's why their lives are up and down in the Old Testament your life had to be up and down every Old Testament person was like that you know Abraham trusts God sometimes and not trust God and trust God he would say that his wife is his sister and then he would repent of it and again go and say his wife resister second time or Noah wonderful work for God and then he would get drunk and lie naked in his tent or David man after God's own heart would end up marrying eight wives and commit adultery with somebody else's wife and kill the husband and marry her Elijah great prophet would both sit under a tree depressin say Lord I'm fed up with my life take away my life it was like that with all those people you read Jeremiah one of the great prophets and he would complain against God like saying you're like an unfaithful stream Oh God imagine talking to God like that and people go there to the Old Testament and find comfort for their defeat for their depression for their up-and-down life for their failure by saying these great prophets were like that that's what I say 95% of believers don't know that we are in the New Covenant people turn to Hebrews chapter 11 I get not never get tired of saying this Hebrews leaven is called a great chapter of faith and I say if you read Hebrews chapter 11 never forget that the most important verse is the last verse do you know what the last verse is hebrews leaven is all these wonderful men who live by faith at the end of it it says but God has provided something better for us the book of Hebrews is one of the most unpopular books among believers they hardly ever read it and that's why that shows their spiritual condition in Hebrews 5 he says that the strong meat we want to give you but you're still drinking milk the book of Hebrews is one of the books that's really gripped my life I'm if you have noticed in the 70 hour CD through the Bible 70 hours to go through all 66 books you many of you have already heard that CD of mine I spent four of those 70 hours on Hebrews and looks a bit disproportionate because it's a pretty small book but it's one of the central books of the New Covenant in the New Testament and I think about 12 or 13 times you find the word better better better better here's one of those so don't read Hebrews chapter 11 and say boy I want to live like that God has provided something better and that's something better it's written in the next four verses whenever you read the Bible the two things I tell you don't read fast read slowly be more interested in the Bible going through you than you going through the Bible you going through the Bible is knowledge the Bible going through you is life like in the Garden of Eden you have knowledge and life you can go through the Bible 50 times and get the knowledge of good and evil and it'll only bring death but if the Bible goes through you once you'll get life the Bible can be the tree of knowledge of good and evil to you or the Tree of Life that depends on how you go at it you can go to it for knowledge you can go to reduce sermons or you can go to it to let it go through you and bring life and so when you read the Bible don't treat fast read slowly it doesn't matter if you take fifty years to go through the Bible once but make sure that the Bible goes through you in that time the second thing is remember that chapter divisions were made by men for convenience so just it may be convenient to read a chapter a day but by the time you go tomorrow to the next chapter you'll forget the connection so very often don't stop at the end of a chapter at least read the next 3-4 verses the next chapter then stop just a simple bit of advice many places you'll find like John chapter 7 in chapter 8 there's a connection there many other chapters Matthew chapter 11 and chapter 12 is a connection after he spoke about come to me and I'll give you rest in the next chapter he speaks about the Sabbath what he did on the Sabbath is a connection and you missed that connection if you don't read continuously the same way here God has provided something better for us what is it by faith in the Old Testament it is by faith in out by faith Abraham by faith they all did external things and then the last is by faith Jesus you missed that if you don't see chapter 12 verses 1 to 4 as actually the last few verses of chapter 11 what is this better thing God has provided he's shown us the way Jesus lived by faith who never split the Red Sea who never pulled down the walls of Jericho who never did the things like shutting the mouths of lions or destroying his enemies but loved his enemies the Old Testament people destroyed their enemies by faith Jesus loved his enemies this is the better thing you know that it's better to love your enemies than destroy them I don't think many Christians have understood that well if you're happy that your enemy has is suffering you're in the Old Covenant in the New Covenant you do not rejoice when your enemy Falls even in the book of Proverbs it says do not rejoice when your enemy Falls so what I'm saying is if you it's not that the Old Testament is unimportant we see God's dealings but he was preparing people we can say the Old Covenant was like kindergarten his kindergarten unimportant how can your child ever learn anything if he doesn't go to kindergarten and learn ABC em one two three four so we don't say the Old Covenant is unimportant is unimportant but we must remember like the difference in in kindergarten and college is the difference between Old Covenant and New Covenant now if you want you can sit in kindergarten for 50 years that's up to you but God wants you to move on to college he's provided us something better and the reason why just like a person who sits in the kindergarten for 50 years won't know anything about geography or history or science or mathematics a lot of believers are like that they're happy with ABC and I know how to read that's good enough for me but then there are other people who pressed on in the same period of time and got a PhD spiritually he'll come to a victorious life and who can say like the Apostle Paul thanks be to God Oh always 24 hours a day seven days a week leads us in triumph in Christ second Corinthians 2:14 or like Paul can sit in a rotting Rumble Roman Jail and same Philippians 4:4 rejoice in the Lord always again I say rejoice and sitting in a rotting rotten human Roman Jail not knowing when he'll be executed or released he says be anxious for nothing it's one thing to say be anxious for nothing when you're living in your comfortable house it's quite another thing to say be anxious for nothing when you are sitting in a prison waiting to be executed that's when Paul wrote that letter he was not like Elijah saying oh please take away my life was Paul better than Elijah I wouldn't compare the two but Paul had resources that Elijah didn't have he had the Holy Spirit within Elijah had the Holy Spirit upon him all the Old Testament people had the Holy Spirit upon because it says in John 739 the Holy Spirit was not given to dwell inside man until Jesus was glorified that's why things can be better for us that's why I don't have to get depressed like Elijah I don't have to commit adultery like David and I don't have to find go to the Old Testament to find comfort for any of my sins I don't have to behave like Abraham who tells his wife it doesn't matter if the King rapes you but I did not kill me just say you're my sister I mean imagine a man want allowing his wife to be raped to protect his own life there's a man of God but you know Abraham could have been a much better man than you and me because he didn't have the Holy Spirit within so don't find comfort in your telling lies by saying Abraham said or Rahab told lies anybody who goes to the Bible to find comfort for his sin will find comfort for sin God will allow him to be deceived because God sees this person is not interested in being saved from his sin he's only interested in finding some excuse for his sin and you'll find a hundred excuses for your sin if you want to find it in the Bible God Himself will help you to find it because he sees that you are not interested in being saved from sin God sent Jesus not to give us excuses for our sin he sent Jesus to save us from everything that is on Christ like everything that is displeasing to God in our life do you think God is displeased with your being depressed and gloomy and you're living up up and down life you accept it because you accept it you live like that forever if a day comes in your life and say I will not accept it because the Bible says I'm supposed to walk as Jesus walked on this earth see two verses let me show you and I want you to keep that in mind always first is 1 John chapter 2 a lot of you are new and many of these things you have said many times but you have not heard it and I want you to hear it on chapter 2 and verse 6 anyone who says he abides in Christ ought to walk in the same manner as he walked as the Living Bible says anyone who says he's a Christian must live like Jesus Christ lived just take that one sentence how many of you can say that you have even tried to say Lord that's my goal if it takes me fifty years to get there I'm going to get there do you have a goal at least I'm not saying you reach there overnight but do you have a longing and saying Lord I want to get there this is not a suggestion do you know that the Bible has got no suggestions only commands if you say you're a Christian you must live as Jesus lived and 1 John chapter 4 says verse 17 the last part as Jesus is so also are we in this world just think of that statement read it slowly as Jesus is so am I in this world that's why the devil is scared of me is the devil scared of you before I ask you that question let me ask you another question is the devil scared of Jesus you have no doubt about that the devil scared of Jesus I think when he walked on this earth the demons would say hey he's coming he's coming let's let's be careful now he's going to do something to us they were scared of him when he came to Galilee and the demons good I'll get all worked up the demons possessed man sitting in the synagogue for thirty years this Pharisees preached all their boring sermons and the demon-possessed person was not disturbed but this moment Jesus came and opened his mouth in one sentence that demon-possessed person would get all worked up that's the difference when Jesus came that demons were scared and it says as Jesus is so am I in this world you say no no well according to your faith be done to you you will not be like that but think of some brother or sister maybe it's somebody much younger than you who says yes I believe God's Word not because of what I am but because of what God is he has said in his word as Jesus is so am I in this world I will be like that in this world demons will be scared of me how many of you can believe that you can come to a life where the demons and the devil himself will be scared of you because this verse says as Jesus is so am I in this world but you can't be as Jesus's if you don't surrender everything to him I mean if your goal in life is to make money and live for yourself and get honor and just get some honor in the church as an elder or some preacher or something like that but young life is not totally committed you're not totally surrendered every area all your money and possessions and ambitions and everything is not on the altar then I tell you you will not be like Jesus's in this world there was a reason why the demons were scared of Jesus they knew that there was no area in his life which has not committed to his father but when he looks at many of us he knows all our private plans and ambitions in our love for this in a love for that in the world and he says to you Jesus I know and Paul I know but who are you I know all about your private life think of the dishonor and disgrace we bring upon the name of Jesus Christ because we hold back something in our life from him and you may not know till you reach eternity what you have missed on earth I often am gripped by this truth Lord I will never get another chance to live this life I've got soul one life is so little and do you realize that do you want to spend all this life in a wrong way I mean you may go to heaven I don't want to go to just go to heaven I want to go to heaven having pleased God in my entire life on earth that's all I want to go I don't want to go just living for myself on this earth and somehow get to heaven at the end I want to hear Jesus saying well done good and faithful servant I want to ask all of you hundreds of people sitting here do you really have that passion that Jesus will say to you when you enter the portals of glory well done good and faithful servant or will you have to say all you manage to make it here is it I never thought you'd make it is that what he's going to say to you what do you want him to say to you so you scrape by and made it and you see all those people there in heaven who sacrifice their lives and live for him and I'll tell you you'll feel ashamed of yourself you let it go and sit in some corner when you see person after person after person who lived totally for God and how God could do something in their life and here you are seeking honor and position in the church or somewhere else and there were areas in your life that were not surrendered and you just try to give everybody the impression that you were very surrendered and very committed and very spiritual but your life is up and down you never made an effort to make your home life godly you blamed your wife all the problem was with your wife she's not spiritual and that's why you don't have a good home life or you blame your husband he's not spiritual that's why you don't have a good home life instead of saying if Jesus is with me how can I ever let the devil come into my home do you think Jesus can the devil can live in the same home all these foolish preachers who say that a believer can have a demon there are some people who believe that can you imagine people believing that Jesus takes half of your heart and the devil takes half of your heart and Jesus says okay let's live together in peace with each other I'm amazed that Christians can be so stupid to believe this type of preaching that a believer can have a demon I'm absolutely amazed all this other teaching that Christians can have a generational curse that my great-great-great great-grandfather worshiped some Idol and saw some curse comes down to me yes it comes down to me if I'm not born again because once upon a time I was in the tree called Adam and I was connected not only to my great-grandfather's connected all the way to the curse that came on and came on me too but there was a day in my life and the Holy Spirit cut me off from that tree and placed me another tree called Christ who's in my generation now not my father or grandfather Jesus Christ which curse is there now he took my curse but there are so many foolish believers who believe all these teachings that come from America of generational curses and they say how is this proud this particular believer had a generation cuz the guy was not born again he just said some magic words Lord Jesus come into my heart he never surrendered all his life to Christ he remained in the tree called Adam and he said Lord Jesus come into my heart and he stayed there he didn't surrender all his life to Christ that's why he's got a thousand generational curses but show me a person who's really repented cut off from Adam and surrender to Christ there is no curse there's no demon there's nothing it's only every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ that's our position that's our birthright don't let the devil rob you God's ways are perfect we need to understand that and in the New Covenant there are certain things that God allows his children to go through nothing that Jesus did not go through Jesus is a forerunner that's another title of Jesus which 95% of Christians don't know forerunner one who ran the same race in front of me if he got depressed one day in my life in his life I'm permitted to be depressed one day in my life at least one day because I said Jesus was depressed one day in his life he never was on the last day of his life revolved 9 hours before his crucifixion or a few hours before his crucifixion he went around telling the disciples I have so much joy in you John 15 my joy I give unto you can you imagine if you're going to be hanged tomorrow morning that you spend your day going around and encouraging all the other around you that is a true Christian that's the way of the Christian he's not disturbed so what if I'm going to be hanged tomorrow morning the nothing can happen to me without the Lord's permission are you disturbed but what can happen tomorrow a day after many of us are disturbed what will happen to my children what will happen to this person Jesus was not disturbed or anything when he said don't worry about tomorrow just take care of today that's how he lived because he knew that his father would take care of tomorrow and his father would never allow something to come tomorrow to him which is too much for him to handle we have so many wonderful promises in the Bible in the next fifty years if I live that long nothing can come to my life which I cannot handle I believe that there may be tough situations that's just like saying in the tenth standard I get tougher examination paper than in the first standard do you want your children to get the same easy question paper in the ten standard that they get in the first standard then they will remain in first standard forever if your child comes to you and say and daddy my question papers are getting tough this year compared to last year he says son that's good for you do you understand the same thing in the Christian life that every year God gives me tougher tests if you're failing the same old test you failed 20 years ago you're getting angry just like you got angry 20 years ago my brother you're in the kindergarten when are you going to get out of it I'm talking to you just like you would talk to your child who's sitting in the kindergarten for 20 years you wouldn't hate him but you say son when I'm going to leave the kindergarten you've been sitting 20 years isn't that enough and that's what the Lord says to you when are you going to get out of the kindergarten and get rid of your anger and your unforgiving spirit and your gossiping these are not kindergarten lessons when you're going to get rid of it the Lord is grieved he will never allow us to face something Jesus never faced but because we are sinned so much and there's such a tremendous temptation to pride in us Jesus could get victory from day one he wants to give us victory from day one but he cannot give us victory and I'll tell you why because he sees that if he gave you victory from day one you would get so proud that you look down at other believers if many of you are honest you have to admit that even though you don't have perfect victory in your life you still look down on other believers isn't that right I've met believers in our churches who come out of Roman Catholic churches all they do is criticize the Roman Catholics and look down on the Roman Catholics I don't agree with Roman Catholic doctrine but I'll tell you I don't look down on them because job 36 5 says God is Almighty but he despises nobody I don't despise the Muslims I don't despise the atheists I don't despise the Hindus because Almighty God my father despises nobody I disagree with a lot of people but I don't despise them if you despise a person you need to be born again you need to get another life and if you say you are born again you better check up your salvation because your heavenly Father despises nobody do you despise somebody because they don't understand the truth like you do do you despise somebody because they don't have victory like you do have on some area that's why God has to allow us to fail and fail and fail and fail many people wonder why is it I'm not getting victory over sin this is one of God's ways God's ways is allowing us to fail 10,000 times or a hundred thousand times if necessary until when does he stop he will stop when you are convinced that you can never get victory then he'll give you the victory I'll tell you my own experience I cannot count the number of times I failed after I believe that sin will not have dominion over me I failed and failed and failed and filled but I kept on saying but sin will not have dominion over me the devil would harass me and say ah see you got angry again and you did this again and you had some bad thought again I say yes I agree but one of these days I'll get victory I will not be like this sin will not have dominion over me I kept on saying that for years even though now is down in the dumps and I know why God allowed me to fail and fail and fail and fail and bring me to rock-bottom do you know the result of that today in my life two wonderful results came as a result of that total failure in my life one is I don't even feel that I can get victory without the Lord's help every day if grace is removed from me today I can fall into adultery I can murder people I can do all you you may not think brothers I can never do that let God take his grace away from me and I will commit the most horrible sins I can be like Osama bin Laden a terrorist I don't know whether you believe that do you believe that if the grace of God is taken away from your life you could even be a suicide bomber or a terrorist if you don't believe that you have not yet come to rock bottom that's why you're still not getting victory over sin I've already come there but I came there through repeated failure where I said Lord I cannot live this victory and even after knowing the Lord so many years I know if God takes his grace away from me I will get depressed tomorrow I'll be discouraged and gloomy and in bad moods from morning till night and I will stand here and I'll bore you in two minutes I'll bore you is the grace of God and I cannot take credit for it that's the first result of failing and failing and failing and failing and failing that you can never imagine that you can do anything without the grace of God now theoretically we all say that but practically we think we can do a lot of things without a grace of God and I'll tell you why because you failed in our you need to fail some more that's God weights God waits till you come to a zero point where you say Lord I can do nothing it's one of the greatest lessons that Jesus wanted to teach his disciples is in John 15 verse 5 without me you can do zero you know the verse but I don't think you know the reality that when the day comes in your life when you realize this not as John 15:5 a verse in Scripture but you know it in your life without Christ I can do zero I cannot preach for one minute in the way God wants me to preach without Christ I cannot live even five minutes without lusting and hating and being bitter without Christ some of us may think well I've lived a pretty good life to know well you got to go a long way brother before you get victory over your sins you'll have secret sins that you never get victory over which you can conveniently hide from other people and pretend that you're an overcomer but you know in your life you're defeated in your thoughts and the reason is you have not come to a zero point when you get victory over sin let me tell you even your health will become better doctors will tell you that disease that if you are worried in your mind that can give you ulcers in your stomach is there a connection between mind and stomach there is even a doctor will tell you that that if you got a bitterness and an unforgiving spirit against somebody you can get arthritis you may get migraine you can get asthma all these things there's a connection between bitterness and asthma the doctor will tell you that unforgiving spirit can cause sicknesses in your body it happened to me many many years ago before I got married I remember I had to go to a hospital for a little minor surgery but in order to do that they put me under anaesthesia general anesthesia well the small little thing was over and I came out but a few days later I found a severe pain down my hand a very nerve type of pain it just didn't seem to go out day and night so I consulted a top neurosurgeon he said what do you think is the cause of this and I told him my Idina through a little surgery he said it's not a surgery but during general anesthesia when they lifted you from the table and put you on the bed or something your neck may have twisted in some way which is because you were not at the anesthesia you didn't feel any pain if you're awake you'd ever done something about it but twisted in some way and something that got happened here to that nerve or whatever it is and he says it really can't be cured he's got to live with it I became so bitter against that doctor I was born again but I had no understanding a victory and I really wrote him a stinker of a letter he was a believer some of you think brother Zack had victory from day one no I didn't I was more defeated than you but this didn't get Benny better till the Lord one day said to me forgive him and you know the worst part of it is I was gonna get married in a few months I said Lord I wrote to this doctor I said is this the wedding gift you've given me this famer hand you know you can write some really strong letters when you're not a Christian when you don't behave like a Christian and the Lord said to me one day forgive him he didn't even do it deliberately even if he did it deliberately you must forgive him I said lord I forgiving doctors make mistakes I was healed instantly never had a pain more than 43 years no pill no injection no surgery could have healed it forgiveness healed it do you have some sickness try forgiving people stop criticizing those people of other religions and other denominations you may get healed forgive those people who did a lot of wrong to you and who speak evil about you you may get healed those are God's ways we need to understand God's ways many years later again a doctor made a mistake with me but this time I had learned my lesson forgiveness was instant no problem I could love the person forgiven even now even if I have to live with that problem all my life never doesn't make any difference have you ever faced a situation where a doctor gave you the wrong medicine or treated you wrong or did some mistake in the surgery and because of that your suffering I want to ask you do you love God well then do you believe that God makes everything work for your good even the mistakes that doctors make or the mistake that somebody else makes maybe you suffered because if somebody else's mistake in some way I don't know what it could be a legal document or something something was done wrong and because of that your suffering if you love God and you're called according to his purpose it doesn't matter what another person does to you it will work for your good and make you christ-like but if you react in bitterness and unforgiveness you'll become more like the devil that's all that's your choice I decided years ago I want to be more like Jesus I've had enough years living like the devil I don't want to I don't want that anymore I want to be more like Jesus I'm just telling you God's ways are forgive many of our prayers are not answered because we don't forgive many of our prayers are not answered because we blame somebody else all the problem in my home is because of my wife brother you can keep saying that you will not understand ABC of the New Covenant learn to forgive learn to take the blame upon yourself what is the difference between Adam and Christ the Old Testament is the history of people who followed Adam the New Testament is the history of people who followed Jesus I see this one big difference among many other differences Adam committed a sin he opened his mouth and ate that fruit and he blamed his wife he couldn't take the blame for his own sin those are the followers of Adam they blame others always look what that person did look what the other person did look how this person treated me look what this person's saying about me is all fall look at this look at that look at that look at the other thing of course I'm holy I'm pure that's Adam how is it with Jesus when he hung on the cross he took the blame hundred percent for other people's sins he never sinned he took the blame for other people's sins that is New Covenant there was a great saint of God many years ago in Europe called Henry Suso and just to help you get rid of your prejudice he was a Roman Catholic he was a godly man more godly than many Protestants and charismatic sand everybody else he was a man who was he was a single man and it was he wanted to be like Jesus he prayed Lord make me like you and he prayed more passionately than many CFC believers to want to be like Jesus he was living in a street in one little house in an open street where house after house after house next to each other one day a woman came with a baby in her arms and knocked at the door when Henry suzhou opened it he had never seen this wound in his life and she shouted out here is the fruit of your sin and dumped the baby into his hands and went away you know she was some prostitute who wanted to get rid of her baby and thought the best person to dump it on is this saintly man who lives on that road he will not complain but everybody in the street heard it and they said AHA now we know what this job has been doing in secret giving us the impression that he's a very holy man and all that in this is what he's meant he was shattered his reputation was gone in a moment he took that baby and knelt down in his room and said Lord you know the truth I don't even know who this woman is I've never seen her in my life what shall I do and listen to the word of Jesus do what I did suffer for the sins of others what a word suffer for the sins of others by the way that's a PhD class those in second standard third standard won't understand it don't worry you won't be tempted like that you don't get such tough question papers in second standard third standard when you get to PhD level you'll get those things so don't think don't be afraid that that will happen to you next week but I tell you if you want to get to the PhD level this is part of the price you may have to pay where you get blamed for what somebody else did and the Lord says shut your mouth he was blamed on the cross for other people's sins and he shut his mouth he took it that's the highest almost the highest level of becoming like Jesus most people don't want to get their because they're always justifying them so no no no I didn't do that in this then the other Jesus said about the Pharisees are those who justify yourself before men but that is an abomination before God read that in Luke 16 15 to justify yourself before men is an abomination to God that's because you want to prove that you're a holy person when you yourself know you're such a rotten old sinner inside well he'd brought up that baby as it has if it was as if it was the fruit of his sin brought up that child and many years later that woman got convicted of her sin and came into that same street and proclaimed to everybody I had told a lie that's not his child but God had accomplished in sue so what he wanted in those years he had made him like Jesus and that had been his prayer before the woman came to his door Oh Lord make me like Jesus so when you start praying that prayer be careful you really want to be like Jesus you really want to take the blame for the sins of others be careful what you're praying what you mean is I want to walk on the water and I want to feed the 5,000 with five loaves and those type of things no you want his ministry but you don't want his life but you don't realize the ministry comes out of the life in the New Testament in the Old Testament you could have ministry without life like Samson the guy could live in adultery and have a fantastic ministry not a Ministry of changing souls by the Ministry of killing lions and Philistines I don't want to kill Lions and Philistines in any case I want to change souls Jesus didn't come to kill lines and Philistines and if you if you want the Ministry of killing doing external things that's you can be like Old Testament people but Jesus had the Ministry of changing people and for that we have to suffer see Hebrews in Chapter five if you want to understand God's ways look at Jesus he's always our example in the Old Testament they never had an example they only had Commandments Commandments but in the New Testament if you have an example Hebrews chapter 5 we read here about Jesus an amazing word see if you can understand it because I'll tell you why I say see whether you can understand it because it says in verse 11 we've got a lot to say about Jesus in this matter but it's very difficult to explain because you become dull of hearing your dull of hearing because you don't want to go the way of suffering and self-denial but try and understand this verse verse 8 although he was a son he learned obedience from the things which he suffered you know there are two types of Commandments Commandments in which we don't have to suffer to obey and Commandments which you have to suffer to obey let me give you an example when you break bread and drink the cup there's a command which says do this in remembrance of me you find it a great suffering when you come to the lord's table on a Sunday and take part in the bread and the cup no suffering at all is enjoyable thoroughly that's why a lot of people who don't come for other meetings come for the breaking of bread but there are other commands which involves suffering that guy was destroyed your testimony and robbed you of your family property forgive him love him that requires a little bit of suffering it's like children there are commands which are easy for them to obey like you tell your child come on eat up that ice-cream is that a difficult command for children to me or eat up that chocolate quickly they'll be delighted to obey it hello bear some more mommy but when a child is playing cricket outside and say come come come you are going to do some work then obedience is difficult there are commands in Scripture that are easy to obey like eat the ice-cream eat the chocolate and there are other commands which causes inconvenience and if you carefully honestly examine your life you may discover that you're only obeying those chocolate ice-cream driver commands and say I'm obeying the Lord and you have conveniently left out the other commands which requires self-denial and suffering and that is the reason why we remain in kindergarten or 1st standard all our life because you always want easy question papers I like question papers we'll just ask me questions like how much is 2 plus 2 and how much is 4 plus 4 mommy I like such question papers I don't want all this stuff things like trigonometry and geometry and algebra I like these you take that attitude to the Christian life you'll always be in the kindergarten you'll never progress he learned obedience by the things which he suffered even though he was a son now in the Old Testament people suffered if you're disobeying God that's what God told Israel if you disobey me I'll give you this suffering that's suffering the other suffering your enemies who lower you they'll kill you but if you obey me you will kill your enemies let's come to the New Testament Jesus was perfectly obedient and his enemies killed him Paul was obedient and his enemies chopped off his head Peter was obedient and they crucified Him and like that with all the Apostles Thomas came to India and he was obedient to God and I didn't coming to India to a heathen country all by yourself to preach the gospel with a supernatural part of garden establishing a church down in Kerala that has lasted for 2,000 years and imagine that there are Christians today in Kerala whose ancestry goes all the way back to the first century down to the first person whom Thomas converted but the man was killed finally he tried to preach here and there and down he went to Chennai finally and they scared him to death all the apostles were like that but it wasn't like that with these Old Testament Saints Elisha was just taken up to heaven in a in with chariots the New Testament is different Jesus was crucified why does God allow his greatest Saints to suffer even old people I've heard that in the second century there's one of the disciples of the Apostle John who was the elder brother in the Church of Smyrna his name was Polycarp he was converted when he was four years old and he lived spent many years with the Apostle John and when he was about ninety years old the Roman people who ruled the country sent to capture him because he refused to bow down to Caesar and refused to say that Caesar is Lord and was bringing people to Christ and they went to capture him and he was so gracious and nice to the people who came to capture and they felt almost ashamed to capture this old white-haired man white bearded man and they said sorry we got to do it we don't feel like doing it but we got to take you because our boss told you to and they brought him before the ruler the Roman ruler and he said listen I don't want to kill you just say Caesar is Lord and deny Christ and I'll let you go and just say the words and just say the words it's enough you can live as you like you know his testimony was 86 years I have served my savior and he has only done me good how can I deny him you can do what you like Jesus Christ is Lord they burnt him why does God allow in the Old Testament when they put them in the fire Daniel's friends they came out without any smell of fire even on their hair but in the New Testament they put into the fire they get burnt and the Old Testament was Daniel was thrown into the Lions Den the Lions wouldn't touch him he was hale and hearty playing around with the Lions those hungry lions and next morning he comes on and the king was so angry with the people King Darius with the people who criticized him that they said hey this is a man of God you fellas Theresa I'll throw you into the lines then and you know what it says there as they were thrown down before they reached the ground the Lions caught them in the air itself and ate him up they couldn't touch Daniel but when Christians were thrown to the Lions in the second century and third century you know what happened the lines ate them up not a single Christian escaped like Daniel they would sing praises to God and the Lions would eat them up and that would speak to the heart of some Roman sitting there in this in the stadium watching this convicted he would say I am also a Christian and they would throw him also to the Lions and the lion would eat them up why did God allow that why did God allow the early apostles to be treated like that why did God allow watchman Nee to be in prison for 22 years the most faithful servant of God in China at that time you need to understand God's ways God's ways are not our ways he wants to demonstrate you know one of the things it says in Ephesians is Ephesians chapter 3 I don't know whether you've read this verse God how does God reveal his wisdom to the Angels that's the question God's got such a lot of wisdoms many-colored many-sided wisdom and he doesn't make the angels sit down in a class and say let me explain my wisdom to you angels listen to me no listen to this verse verse 10 the manifold wisdom of God manifold means many-sided it's like many many aspects of God's wisdom is made known to the rulers and authorities as the angels and powers in the heavenlies including the bad ones and the good ones through the church it's through the church that God is revealing his fantastic wisdom to the devil his demons to the angels in heaven like God says come Michael I'll show you my wisdom look at that servant of God mind down of mine over there see how he's being ill-treated see how they all tell lies about him and slander him and spit on him and see how he loves them that's my wisdom Michael and Michael says Lord what about that other believer who's complaining and grumbling all the time even with a small little mosquito bite well he is ignorant Michael he doesn't know my wisdom what about you can God show you to Michael and Gabriel and say look at that child of mine the manifold wisdom of God this is new covenant life I consider a tremendous honor if God uses me as a teacher for Michael the Archangel you know the angel Michael the Archangel never goes through the suffering that we go through as believers and it's also a testimony to the devil like he pointed out Jo but the sad thing is God could not continuously point out job to Satan in the first chapter he could and in the second chapter he say see you killed his children Satan I allowed you to do it you took away his property and see he's still holding fast to his integrity and that devil says I know what men love more than anything else they love their own life more than even their children and their property touch his body and let's see whether he stops complaining but he doesn't complain and did and God said okay go ahead and initially job said this is wonderful but afterwards he started complaining in the book of Job and it's not written there but I can imagine the devil going to God and saying God didn't I tell you didn't I tell you that job would not remain the same see how he's complaining he always saying criticizing you God could not hold up job except at the end in the last he said all all I'm sorry I take back everything then he could find our job again but now in the New Covenant do you want to be like Joel that the double can quad can point you out to the devil one day but not the next day and like the devil can point you out and say see how sweetly she lives with her difficult husband and the devil says wait look tomorrow I just caused a little problem there let's see how sweet she is and the next day she's not so sweet to artifical Hasbun and the devil says to God see I told you I just pinched her a little bit and she's complaining where can God find people whom he can point out to Gabriel and Michael and Satan and everybody do what you like to him do what you like to her and you'll see that they'll behave like Jesus Christ boy when it says the father is looking for worshippers that's what it means this is what it means to be a worshipper worship is not singing praises on Sunday morning that's praise and thanksgiving worship is something completely different I told you just a job worshipped when he lost everything it's the first worshipper in the Bible that's worship not singing songs comfortably sitting in a chair or standing and raising hands and with all these different parts they sing with that's not what that's just praise it's good singing but it's not worship worship is when you go through suffering and trial and misunderstanding and all types of problems then you say God you are right I praise you everything God is on his throne and everything's okay consistently every day till the end of your life they say that watch Mamiya - after 22 years in jail and trying the Communists try to brainwash him like anything at the end of 22 years he was saying my heart is full of the joy of the Lord that's a testimony where God could say look at that man my servant and the devil says let me try let me put him in a communist prism and brainwash him let's see God says go ahead try put him put him one more year Lord let me try it out one more year or one more year another twenty years one more year to year two years till the end he was praising the Lord and God could say to Satan did you succeed with him did he succeed with watchman Nee no he died praising the Lord what a testimony was that was we wonder why why does God allow these people to go into these prisons because he's manifesting his wisdom when Peter was being crucified he said to the people I'm an unworthy sinner I don't deserve to be crucified like my Savior was please turn the cross upside down so they put the cross upside down and hung Peter upside down because he didn't feel he was worthy to be like Jesus hanging on a cross erect and that God could look at devil and say did you succeed with Peter yes you succeeded with him years ago before he was filled with the spirit you made him deny me three times I know that but now have you seen him now the last 35 years see how he's willing to die for me the manifold wisdom of God you have a little problem in your life and you say we think that's a big problem it's a mosquito bite compared to what the Apostles went through what a lot of feeling sorry for ourselves we are let me give you a verse from Scripture to follow Jesus and say to people don't weep for me weep for yourselves we sang a song just now I stand amazed in the presence of Jesus the Nazarene there's one line one or two lines in that song that speak to me many times he had no tears for his own griefs but sweat drops of blood for mine Jesus had no tears for his own griefs and sorrows but he had sweat drops of blood for my griefs and sorrows and every time I sing that song the Lord tells me do you want to follow me you got to be like that you must have no tears for your own sorrows and griefs I may not have sweat drops of blood but tears and heartaches for the sorrows of other people I say Lord many years ago I said Lord I want to be like that and I can say before God I've had no tears for my griefs or sorrows for many many many years I have no complaints against anybody everybody in the world is working for my good how can you complain but everybody's working for your good I mean even if you have 10 people in Bangla working for your good you'll be happy I've got 7 billion people in the world working for my good did you know that if you don't know it go to Romans 8:28 it's written there only because of one reason I love God I have no ambition in my life God is my witness I have no ambition in my life except to fulfill God's will and build this church on the earth no other ambitions zero and therefore because I love God not called according to his purpose all seven billion people in the world and not only they all the billions of demons in the heavenly places are also working for my drug they try to harm me but they make me more like Jesus what a life as Jesus is so are we in this world this is New Covenant life I invite all of you welcome to the party come up higher don't live in that low kindergarten anymore let's pray spar heads before God and say Lord will you just pray one prayer Lord I want your very best in my one earthly life I don't want to waste this one earthly life I want to follow Jesus and I want to follow every godly example like Paul Peter Polycarp John and any other living Saints you have met who are following in Jesus footsteps Lord I want to follow them like they follow Christ I realize now that's the only life worth living on this earth no tears for my own sorrows and griefs did people speak evil of you do you believe God is Almighty to make it work for your good then give thanks for it instead of complaining Oh somebody's poking you love me did somebody do harm to you do you believe that if God is Almighty to make it work for your good stop shedding tears then but praise God with a cheerful heart and a cheerful face God is on the throne he's making everything work for my good and he's making me any teaching lessons to the Angels through my life say Lord I'm sorry for all the times when you could not teach the angels a lesson through my life I failed but it's not going to be like that anymore fill me with the Holy Spirit so that your wisdom can be manifested through my life Heavenly Father thank you I believe there are a number of people here who have been gripped today and whose lives will no longer be the same thank you in Jesus name Amen

Channel: SermonIndex.net

Views: 143,533

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Keywords: Zac, Poonen, Revival, Repent, God, Sermons, Jesus, SermonIndex

Id: 17Dc18Zkc_Q

Length: 58min 9sec (3489 seconds)

Published: Sat Mar 19 2011